Grampus was recently asked to undertake a geophysical survey of Blennerhasset Roman Fort as part of the "From Fort To Farms" community project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The fort was discovered in 1984 through AP's, with some geophysical survey completed on one of the corners of the fort. We gained permission from English Heritage to do a survey that would cover the scheduled monument area so that we could cover the full extent of the fort.

The survey report is available to download here and more information can be found about the Blennerhasset community project through their website (coming soon).

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Grampus was recently awarded money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to continue with our work in and around Papcastle. We have started straight away with our new project, "Discovering Derventio", with a community excavation at the bottom of Sibby Brow on the Papcastle side of the River Derwent, which has uncovered a series of buildings. This excavation has now finished and we will put up the results as soon as we get them.

 

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Grampus applied for and was awarded funding to do further work in the area around Papcastle after the success of the Broomlands excavation in the summer of 2010. We have been granted funding to do 3 weeks excavation. We divided the weeks up so that between 10th - 21st October, we excavated in the area next to "The Cradles" on the North bank of the River Derwent opposite the Broomlands field, and between 14th -19th November, we were excavating in the Burroughs field to the east of the "The Cradles".

Both excavations were open to volunteers and we would like to extend a huge thank you to you all for turning up and helping us and welcome to those of you who are new to our projects. The report for both excavations is forthcoming though the geophysics report is available on our UK Projects page, where the preliminary Broomlands report is also now available. We have now submitted the application for the main project phase.

Sharing Landscapes

Grampus is a partner in the "Sharing Landscapes" Project, which is a Grundtvig Multilateral funded project. The project aims to create an interdisciplinary methodology on teaching outdoors for adult learners. The Sharing Landscapes project focuses on language and landscapes; in an urban, rural, local and global context. It aims to developing skills in spatial literacy, enabling adult learners to "read" the "grammar" of the outdoors, from cultural, historical, aesthetic and environmental starting points. This is to encourage a higher order of critical thinking skills, such as questioning, analysing and evaluating information. The methodology addresses individual learning styles, recognizing the needs and expectations of the learners. To find out more, visit the website or see our facebook page.

Abbey Town Survey and Excavation

Grampus has been working at Holme Cultram with members of the West Cumbria Archaeology Society since the summer of 2006. The main objectives of the survey and excavation was to try and find the original foundations as part of the Society's investigation into the history and archaeology of the Abbey. The subsequent excavation was a success, with a South wall of the Cloister, East wall of the Refectory and a drain being found in one trench. Two graves with an associated grave stone were also found. The grave stone had the date 1430 on it and was probably the stone of a Clerk.

Since the first successful survey and community excavation, more work has taken place since 2006, still focussed around the area of Holme Cultram. A survey was carried out at the end of March that focussed on Kiln Close Field, located to the East of the Abbey. The last survey and fieldwork associated with the Abbey was carried out at New Cowper, looking for a chapel associated with the Abbey.

If you would like more information about the ongoing work at Abbey Town, please contact us, or look at the Society's Facebook page, which will have updates about when and where they have organised field work.

'Celebrating Seasons'

Grampus is now a partner in the "Celebrating Seasons" Project, which brings together a partnership of rurally based organisations from Cyprus, Germany, Iceland, Slovakia and the UK. Each of the partners shares a set of common issues in striving to "Regenerate " rural communities and economies. With fewer young people returning to rural areas after Higher Education, it is clear that we must empower older learners with the confidence to re-enter education, develop new skills and have access to the range of European opportunity and experience-sharing which is far more accessible to younger learners in formal education establishments. This project is funded by Grundtvig.

Clay Dabbins Project- English Heritage

The "Clay Dabbins" Project - a partnership between Grampus Heritage, Carlisle Council and NECT (North of England Civic Trust) - has been funded by English Heritage and continues to run throughout 2011. The project was designed to educate professional builders, craftsmen and anyone else involved in traditional buildings, as well as informing the wider public about these buildings that form part of the traditional vernacular architecture of this region. A recreation of a Dabbin (essentially a clay-walled building, very similar to 'Cob' buildings in the south of England) is in progress at Ashgill, the final stage- roofing it using heather thatch- is scheduled for Monday 16th / Tuesday 17th May 2011. We encourage anyone who is interested to learn more, or even get involved with the roofing work, to come along to Ashgill and see for yourself. There is also a Clay Dabbin conference in Carlisle on Wednesday 6th April, as well as further training courses during the summer- visit the North of England Civic Trust website for further information.

Grampus is proud to be a partner in the new "Green Village" Project. This new project brings together 9 European countries who are all seeing a decline in rural areas through declining income, ageing populations, younger generations moving to areas of work, the loss of traditional skills and the loss of land. By focusing on creating a market for local and sustainable products, such as tourism, and looking at Cultural Heritage, it is hoped that Rural Regeneration can get a kick start in many affected areas. Click on the logo above to go straight to the "Green Village" website.

The Broomlands Community Survey and Excavation

Grampus has completed an excavation on the The Broomlands with volunteers after members of the public came forward after the floods with Roman artefacts they had found walking the field. Grampus set up a community project which included 6 weeks of magnetrometry survey of the fields to the north and south of the river as well as fields on the otherside of the Papcastle bypass. This was followed by 4 weeks of excavation work that involved members of the community working alongside an archaeological unit. The aim was to open archaeology up to the local community and to get them involved in discovering the history of their local area. The excavation proved to be a great success in both the numbers of volunteers who turned up daily and in terms of what was found. The discovery of a watermill along with what has been suggested as a military building alongside a civilian settlement outside the Roman fort at Papcastle suggests that there could be more to the area than previosuly thought.

The project is in the early stages of funding application to continue work in the area. It is hoped that more funding can be obtained in order for more excavation work to be carried out in the areas that have already been surveyed.